Every business holds meetings to discuss the part every employee should play to achieve the collective goal. It is quite hard to coordinate people without organizing meetings. However, not every room is ideal for meetings; business owners must create a space that fosters innovation and collaboration. What if some employees work from home? Remote workers don’t necessarily have to attend the meeting physically; they can participate from where they are using technology. However, they attend a physical meeting occasionally to interact with colleagues and management. Since these meetings are the only time workers and business owners interact face to face, the meeting room design must create the right impression. It should encourage interaction and make everyone eager to contribute. This article will highlight five tips business owners should apply to create a unique meeting room that meets their needs.
Table of Contents
Pick the Right Layout
Gone are the days when meeting rooms had white walls and a large table surrounded by chairs. Office room designers can implement different layouts based on preferences and their desires. There is nothing really wrong with a large table and chairs, but bringing modern interior design ideas to improve the room. Nobody wants to spend hours sitting on an uncomfortable chair in a tiny or dull room discussing complicated business issues. This explains the importance of branding the room. It should have modern furniture and lighting fixtures or glass windows and doors to take advantage of the natural lighting. With modern features and natural light, employees can spend hours discussing how to develop the company.
All meeting rooms are not equal; they should not have the same layout. Some are boardrooms for stakeholders and investors. Others are small rooms for meeting important clients. Modern businesses have a special zoom room for brainstorming with professionals remotely. All these rooms need a slightly different layout. To illustrate this, companies with a hierarchical structure can have a large table with the boss at the helm. The small presentation rooms should have small tables that participants can move around to stimulate participation. Those who prefer a synergistic space can have a round table and introduce casual features such as coffee points and coaches. With all these options, however, business owners certainly need to hire competent interior designers for the job.
Consider the Comfort Level
When it comes to comfort, some business owners only consider it when buying chairs. However, paying attention to the desired comfort level could determine the paint colors and office equipment. If the meeting room is designed to hold short discussions, shallow padding chairs can work. Executive boardrooms and brainstorming rooms should have more comfortable seats with thick cushioning. The room designers should also understand the color theory to choose colors that keep participants active. Blue color, for example, could affect concentration levels and make some participants doze off. Poor lighting is also associated with a low concentration span.
Some companies allow employees to hold small department meetings. A small team may be uncomfortable meeting in a large room with big tables. This highlights the need to consider movable chairs and a flexible layout. If only a few people need to meet, they can push away some chairs and tables and have an intimate meeting space. If the room is too big, installing movable partitions can increase comfort.
Meet Technical Requirements
A modern meeting room certainly needs state-of-the-art technology. Therefore, business owners should install modern CCTV cameras and access control systems. Also, they need presentation tools such as a projector or a couple of screens to ensure participants can follow presentations conveniently without missing crucial points. If the remote workers will attend meetings, they should conveniently do so using the right devices. Those who prefer projectors must create dark rooms or have a way to modify the room for projector presentations. Introducing the latest technologies creates another problem: the connecting wires and cables. What is the best way to manage these cables? To minimize distractions from complicated cabling, business owners should hire electricians to conceal them. The overall design should also support tech gadgets. Therefore, tech devices should go where there is a power outlet to avoid having visible cables running from one end of the meeting room to the other.
Consider the Company’s Image
What should the meeting room say about the company? Impression is a deal breaker in business. Before clients or investors do business with a certain company, they assess credibility and reliability. A company with a casual boardroom that looks like a living room might make investors think twice before sealing any deal. A meeting room with the right image makes it easy to convince investors and clients because they trust the brand. Therefore, the meeting room should demonstrate a sense of business stability. It should inspire confidence and trust. To drive deals home, the room should display the vision and mission of the company. They should remind employees and visitors of the values that the company upholds. With the business philosophy on the walls, very few people will doubt the company’s ability to fulfill their part in a business agreement. This knowledge works to the advantage of the business, especially if they use the meeting room for negotiations.
Adhere to the Occupancy Guidelines
Meeting room designers create the room with the number of occupants in mind. The room might work for fewer participants but not more than the maximum number. Therefore, business owners should expand the room or schedule sessions accordingly if the room cannot accommodate more participants. The access control system should limit the number of people who access the room at a time. This reduces inconveniences. If the room accommodates 15 people, the system should not allow more people unless they have unique roles, such as serving the participants coffee or fixing tech gadgets. However, removing collaboration tools such as whiteboards could create space for more tables and chairs.
These tips can help any business owner transform the meeting room and increase efficiency. A good meeting room will serve its purpose and make it easier to seal business deals. However, it is advisable to involve competent interior designers to implement these tips for better outcomes.
